Selling Homes in a Changing Real Estate Market

The real estate market is cooling which for many people will mean less money for their homes after more time to sell them. Staging professionals aim to change that trend for agents who know the advantage of this service for their listings. Homes that have been staged have been known to sell three times faster, on average, than homes that haven’t been staged and they bring up to 15% above the asking price on an average home. Unlike interior decorating and re-design, the staging process prepares a home for sale—it involves depersonalizing it and broadening the appeal to buyers by maximizing space and lifestyle selling.

Staging professionals have specialized training to assist the home seller and real estate agent. They provide a service that benefits this industry through their understanding of the marketplace. Homeowners can see the results from the staging process—multiple offers that are above the asking price within days of an open house, for example. They can also see that major renovations needing lots of time and money are not required to get top dollar on a property.

The reality of real estate is that most homes are not ready for a competitive market. Every day the agents must tell the sellers the news that their home needs work in order to get the best price. Reluctance to be frank with the seller can result in lower offers and longer times on the market which is not the best scenario for the listing agent or the seller. Stagers have the experience to diplomatically guide sellers in the preparation of their homes for today’s discerning buyer.

Stagers do not renovate, decorate or design a house but help agents and sellers to create a strategy for selling the house. They have a proven colour palette to work from that has major appeal to buyers. They can provide economical furnishing and accessory rentals to show spaces in a new way. They can provide the homeowners with options that make the house look good, better and even best depending on the budget, timelines and the desire of the home seller.

Staging, or preparing a home for the market, works—and works well. It is another part of the top selling agent’s marketing tool kit.